Old Town
The oldest part of Stockholm is Gamla Stan (the Old Town) and the tiny adjacent island, of Riddarholmen. It is a place filled with stunning views, picturesque streets and historical sites.
It includes the Royal Palace, with museums like Livrustkammaren (the Royal Armoury) and Skattkammaren (the Royal Treasury) and the Changing of the Guards in the Outer Courtyard.
History lovers can take a guided city tour, offered in many different languages. Gamla Stan is also home to Nobelmuseet (the Nobel Museum) and Riddarhuset (the House of Nobility). From Gamla Stan, it’s a beautiful walk to the picturesque street, Fjällgatan, over in the Södermalm district, with stunning views across the city, perhaps rounded off with a coffee at Fåfängan, a historical café and lookout point.
Vasa Museum in Stockholm
Is a museum built around the Vasa Ship; the world’s only surviving 17th century battleship which sunk on its maiden voyage in Stockholm. The museum building, the presentation of the ship and its artefacts have to be seen to be believed – unmissable.
The Mine Museum
In Falun, central Sweden, is a UNESCO World Heritage site, an honour it shares with the town of Falun and homesteader estates. It sits on the edge of the Great Pit, the site of a giant cave-in in 1687. The museum tells the story of the mine and the company that ran it and it has received the highest ranking from the Michelin Guide. And they should know.
Kalmar Castle
In eastern Sweden, sits on a headland jutting out into Kalmar Strait . It dates from the 14th century and was rebuilt in the 16th century. The castle was built around a harbour and soon became “The Key to the Kingdom” and a significant defensive fortification on the then Danish border. Nearby lies the “Ölandbron” a bridge that takes to island of Öland, as famous for its sunny micro-climate, as it is for being holiday destination for Swedes and for its unique flora and fauna. It is also famous for its amazingly well preserved pre-Viking and Viking historical sites.
Skansen
Open-air museum in Stockholm was the world’s first open-air museum. It is a living, working Sweden of the 1900s and hosts events, festivals and celebrations across a large area dotted with farm building, mills, ‘olde worlde’ shops and a stunning wooden church. There are some 160 buildings here that have been brought in from various part of the country to form a society of the times. Skansen also has a zoo that features elk, wolves, lynx and brown bears.
The Moderna Museet
Collection of contemporary and pop art is impressive, even by European standards. For example, 2008 saw the return of Andy Warhol works to the museum, bringing together the famous pop artist’s works with his films from the 1960s, including ‘Sleep’ and ‘Empire’. Works by Picasso, Dali and Rauschenberg are also on permanent display. On your way to Moderna, just before the bridge that links Skeppsholmen to this part of Stockholm is the Nationalmuseum. Huge it is not, but it has a fine collection of works by artists such as Rembrandt, Rubens, Goya, Renoir, Degas and Gauguin, and Swedish artists Carl Larsson, Ernst Josephson, C F Hill and Anders Zorn.
The Naturhistoriska Museet
The mother of all Stockholm’s museums. It is housed in an imposing building out by the University of Stockholm and its mission is to: “offer knowledge about nature and man's surroundings. We wish to make it as exciting as possible. We want to add to your knowledge by providing experiences”. This it does superbly well through its eight permanent exhibitions, starting with “4 1/2 billion years – the history of Earth and Life”, through to: “Treasure of the earth’s interior.” The museum also presents satellite exhibitions events and experiences around these. Your children will never forgive you if you come to Stockholm and they miss out on Cosmonova, which is part of Naturhistoriska. What happens is that you sit back on your seat and it tilts in synch with giant film images that are projected on to a projection dome high above you. The effect is amazing and gives a heightened dimension of brightness, realism and sharpness. The films include “Dinosaurs Alive”, “Mummies” and “Cosmic Voyage”.
City of Stockholm
City of Stockholm has visitor information about attractions, restaurants, and shopping.
